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Prolock
The Prolock (Oceana pronunciation: 'pʁ̥olokˠ) is the northernmost river in the Lovian state of Oceana, excluding some smaller streams, to directly drain into the Pacific Ocean. The Prolock starts as a small clean water source in the higher regions of the Emerald Highlands and then continues its path towards the Pacific Ocean by flowing just north of the Easthills area, through the so-called Prolock Massive, collecting water from several smaller streams on the way. It is one of the larger water flows in the near environment of the town of East Hills, passing it on just a few miles distance. In the lower-lying areas, the Prolock meanders significantly more than in the higher regions, and in the middle course it is a braided river, a type of river which is very rare in Oceana, and Lovia in general. It drains into the Pacific Ocean with a minor delta. Vegetation along the banks of the river differs significantly depending on the surrounding conditions. In the highest part of the course, there is hardly any vegetation except for some grasses, mosses, and lichens. Further down the course of the river, in the Prolock Massive, shrubs and a few lost trees bring more variety to the landscape, although it is still pretty empty. It is when the river comes below the 120 meter marker that the first real pine forests emerge. This is related to the softer underground there, compared to the rocky wastelands of other parts of northernmost Oceana. Below this line, the Prolock carries off large quantities of sediment, as it is eroding the softer soil of the Duenn Forests and carrying it off towards the Pacific Ocean. Along a large part of this lower course, gravel banks can be found. The vegetation along the lower course is even less diverse than the vegetation along the Kollweck, although it gets more diverse in the delta. Unlike the other larger rivers of the North Coast district, the Prolock is not home to the Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus skyhlan, commonly known as School salmon. The braided river structure combined with the large amounts of sediment, as well as its shallowness, make the Prolock an unsuitable place for spawn. Some occasional visitors can however be found in the delta. Human development The Prolock is not a navigable river, as it is way too shallow for even smaller boats. As a consequence, the river is not used for transportation purpose. Instead, it has been a source of water to East Hills and loggers in the region. The town of East Hills pumps water from the river and, after it has gone through a process of purification, it is used to make up a part of the tap water for the residents of the town. However, the majority of tap water in East Hills is extracted from the ground. Historically, several locations at the river banks have been used for gaining gravel. As the river has rich gravel banks due to its depositing of huge amounts of sediment, it used to be a very interesting location to investors. The town of East Hills banned harvesting materials in a five hundred meter radius from the river in 2008, to prevent ecological damage. Since then, gravel production has practically come to a stop in Oceana. Hydroelectric plant It has been proposed by some scientists, companies, and politicians, including Parti fo Nesavicelost 'Oshenna and Moderate Centrist Party/Party New Oceana, to build a series of hydroelectric facilities in the upper course of the river. In theory, the Prolock is probably one of the best candidates for the production of hydroelectricity due to its height profile: it starts as a small stream, then decreases to the Prolock Massive, which is very flat, and then rapidly plummets, falling about 200 meters in less than a kilometer. On its way through the Prolock Massive, the small stream has grown out to become a river, and as such, the places where the river gains momentum due to its swift fall are interesting for harvesting hydroelectric power. The main issue with building hydroelectric stations has been the fact that the river has a lot of sediment that is vital to keeping up the delta and the general structure of the river. If hydroelectric dams are built in the Prolock, all sediment will be caught stuck behind the dams, causing the lower part of the river to be sediment-free. This means that the many nutrients on which life in the river depends do not reach the lower part of the river, which is the part that is full of life. Another problem is that the braided structure of the river cannot be upheld as it requires tons of sediment per year. As a matter of fact, the dams themselves may be clogged by the vast amounts of sediments trapped behind them, effectively bringing electricity production to a halt. Disabling sediment from coming through will also weaken the vulnerable delta of the Prolock, making it more vulnerable to coastal erosion. Category:River of Oceana